CloudNC announced it has raised $45 million in a Series B round led by Autodesk, with Lockheed Martin and British Patient Capital participating alongside returning investors Atomico and Episode 1 Ventures. The company will use the additional capital to further develop its SaaS offering and roll out at-scale through integrations with CAD/CAM packages such as Autodesk’s platforms, and to expand its unique full-stack manufacturing capability in Essex, United Kingdom.
Precision manufacturing, an industrial process required to make parts needed for virtually every industry, from automotive and aerospace to consumer electronics and defense, is currently error prone, time-consuming and expensive. Despite increased automation, precision manufacturing’s dependency on expert manual programming makes it less efficient than other industrial processes and means it is heavily exposed to an ageing workforce.
CloudNC’s technology already provides a significant degree of autonomy. A user can upload a 3D model of any part and, with one click, the software autonomously determines the tools needed, how they will be used and drafts the code to tell a CNC machine how to make it. This software assistance allows factories to be more efficient while upskilling the workforce, since more junior employees are able to operate the machines.
Ultimately, by reducing reliance on manual machine programming, CloudNC’s advanced software will enable factories to autonomously manufacture more parts, more reliably, faster and with less waste than current processes. It will help level manufacturing costs from region to region, enabling producers to build increasingly local and resilient supply chains.
About CloudNC
CloudNC develops advanced software, developed and tested in its own aerospace-accredited facility (AS9100D), that massively simplifies and improves the process of precision machining, delivering greater speed and reliability with less waste than current processes. The company is seeking to democratize production through its unique, full-stack factory in Essex, United Kingdom, where the software is continuously iterated towards full manufacturing autonomy. The company, founded in 2015, consists of a world-class team combining expertise in computer science and physical manufacturing, alongside Autodesk and Lockheed Martin as strategic partners helping to make CloudNC’s solutions available to factories around the world as a software product.
About Autodesk
Autodesk is changing how the world is designed and made. Their technology spans architecture, engineering, construction, product design, manufacturing, media and entertainment, empowering innovators everywhere to solve challenges big and small.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin Corp. is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 114,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.